Rapid-firing gun.



J. MARTIN.

RAPID FIRING GUN.

APPLICATION men MAYZI. 19x7. A c 1 y q J11 *W-Q IL Pafvnted 1mm b. 191%. J 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JJRIAL, CALIFGRL IA. ASSIGNOR OF 0.:

BARROS. GF IMPERIAL. *FIA.

ill? OF Il /l C} LIFOIRI Eseiial No. 170.033.

. 9 L E G a G w M R m f I m 0 .n... M O

Application filed May 21. 15317.

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The gun proper is composed of a barrel 28 which is provided at its outer end with a sight 29. The rear half of the barrel is formed with circuniferentially extending fins 30 which are spaced in relation to each other and provide additional heat radiating surface for the firing chamber of the gun. These fins are air cooled and are inclosed within a cooling jacket 32 which is opened at its forward end. as indicated by the nu meral 33. 'lhe rear of. the cooling case is formed with an air passage- \\'a v 35 which permits the air from the case to be conducted to the breech block and will cause it.

to create a draft therearound which will act 7 in a beneficial manner to lower the teiiiperature of the block.

The rear end of the barrel is. of course, open to provide a'tiring chamber so within which shells 37 may be placed. These shells are carried within a detachable shell clip. or magazine 2-18 which provides a container for a plurality of shells arranged side byside and held in their uppermost position by a feed plate 35). This plate is borne against by an expansion spring H). as l'nirticularly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The outer casing of the magazine is fitted with a lug 41 which is engaged by a locking catch 42. This catch is normally held beneath the lug ll by means of a spring 43 and may be swung outwardly from this position by an actuating pin sl-l. This pin extends outwardly through a slot 5 in the spring lip mounting.

The spring clip mounting is formed iiitegi'al with a shell feeding ca'se -ll3 which is provided with an inclined bore l7 disposed beneath the breech block. This bore extends at right-angles to the spring clip and is therefore in longitudinal alinement with the shells which are successively moved into the forward end of the bore.- As shown in the drawings. the longitudinal axis of the bore, *7 converges with the longitudinal axis of the gun barrel and at substantially the same pointihat the end of the shell occupies when itis in the firing chamber. Reciprocably mounted within-the rear end of the bore :7 is a loading plunger CS. This plunger is supplied with an actuating pin r!) which extends outwardly from the one side ol the bore and is engaged in a pivotal manner by the ciul of an elevating arm 51 This arm extends along the side of the magazine and is secured to the crank 53, said crank being tix d upon the end of the shaft of the motor 54. The motor 54 is mounted directly beneath the rear end of the barrel and in front of the magazine.

Formed integral with the loading mechanism housing 46 and positioned thereabovo This block is stationarily is a breech 57.

disposed in longitudinal alineineiit with the barrel of the gun and is spaced a dlstance "from the rear end thereof substantially equal to the length of the shell 37. Reciprocably mounted within this blo is a breech bolt 5h which has downwarcly extending lugs 59 by which it may be moved. The pivot pin (30 is fixed in the lugs 59 and extends from tl-ieopposite side of the breech block from the pin l9, and a. shifting rod (31 connects the pin 60 to the crank 63 fixed upon the opposite end of the motor shaft 55 from the crank The cranks 53 and (33 are set diametrically opposite each other so that the plunger 48 and the breech bolt 58 work in opposite directions, that i's,"whcn the breech bolt 58 is withdrawn, the, plunger 48 advances a cartridge into the firing chamber. and when the. plunger 48 with draws. the breech bolt moves against the cartridge and fires the cartridge. Positioned within a longitudinal bore 6% ex-- tending the length of the breech bolt 58 is a firing pin (35. the point of which passes through a small opening at the end of the bolt and is'adapted to strike the percussion cap with which the ends of the shells are fitted. This pin is driven by means of a coil spring (36 arranged around the stem 67 of the pin. This stein extends through an end bearing (58 which is threaded into the rear end of the breech bolt 58 to retain the spring on. Fasteiied to the end of the stem 67 is a catch (59 which extends upwardly and encounters a detent. 70 which is fastened upon a trip shaft 71 rotatably secured within the top of the breech block. Reference being had to Fig. it will be seen that the detent is formed with a square rear face and an inclined side face, while the catch is formed witlran inclined side face and a square front face. The inclined faces of the two members are adapted to bear against. each other when the catch moves rearwardly and will thus swing the detent to one. side. thereafter to lock. with it when it is swung in front of the catch by a torsion spring 72. The forward end of the trip shaft Tl is provided witha finger 73 which extends downwardly in the path of travel of a tripping cam 74. This cam is formed as a projection upon the 11 per face of the breech bolt 58 and is of'a con guration particularly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. It willthus be seen that when the catch- (39 is engaged by the detent 70, it will be held while the pitman rod 61 draws the bolt forward, thus compressing the spring (36. and that when the finger 73 is enc nintered by the cam H the catch 69 will boreleased.

In order that the moving parts of the tiring and loading mechanism may be supplied with lubrication an oil reservoir 75 is formed beneath the breech block and too 1,285,765 p r r i 9,

above the loadingmechanism. This reservoir tilled through a filling opening 76 and is. formed with a serica of lubricating ducts which extend to the various hearings ot the apparatus and provide it with adequate luhrication.

Positively operated means are provided within the breech block meclnuriam to remove the shells from the firing chamber at icr their explosion. This device consists of ejector lingers Ti which are fastened to the sidw ot' the hreeoh holt 5th an particularly shown in Fig. (3 ol the drawings. These; linger are semi-rigid and are provided with hooka- TH which pane into small cavities T at the Shit, of the shell to engage the shell rim. in this manner the. shell will be positively engaged and the hack movement oi the holt will cause it to be withdrawn from the barrel. When the shell is withdrawn from the barrel hy the retreat. of the breech bolt 58 the plunger i8 advances another cartridge upwardly and throws the empty shell upwardly it will he understood. that the gun barrel might be swung upon its trunnions to various angles to the horizontal and that the gun carriage n'iight also he swung to assume various angles throughout a horizon tal plane, both of which operation would be effected mechanically.

in operatioz'n the gun is set up on its hase at an advanced position in the field, nut-ans a first line trench. \Vhen in place the shell magazine 38 is snapped into engagement; with the catch 42. Vhen the range has been found the motor 54 is started. This motor "will rotate the cranks 53 and n l in the direction indicated by the arrow riin Fig. is these cranks rota e from the position shown in Fig. 2. the hreoch. bolt 58 will he moved rcarwardly within the hreech and the plunger -18 will move along the loading bore 47. As the holt clears the upper end oi the bore. the loading plunger ill will elevate the uppermost shell 37 in the magazine and cause it to he [n'ojccted into the firing chamher of the barrel. (lontinued rotation of the cranks will cause the retraction of the loading plunger 48 and permit a cconcl shell to he raised in preparation for hcing led through the harrel. \l'hilc this loading operation is taking place, the holt .38 morcnv rearwardlv into the lirecch and tlrc catch 69 upon the cud of the tiring pin stem 37 is cugagcd hy the detent 70. The return movemcm ol' th holt then takcplace. This movemen occurs at an interval which will' cauac the win-ll IE? to lie, drivcn home into the, tiring chandler it wlicrc it. will he held. When llli holt 5% has hecn drawn against th and =vl' the hcll $37. the ram Tl upon the oi the holt and within the ln'ccch c the trip linger Til mounted upon lalt 71. This movement. will rock the trip linger Til and cause the dctcnt To to swing out of an obstructing position he tore the catch (it), The apring it; il th n ie released. as well as the tiring pin ti? and the pin will move forward with great i'oi'cc to strike the percussion cap within the end of the shell, thus causing an explosion; Himult-aneous with the forward movement of the breech holt 58. the. shell ejector T? will engage the rim of the shell and as the holt is again retracted will withdraw theflshcll and throw it out. of the gun. This will clear the tiring chamber for action which will take place as soon as the loadingplunger 48 delivers another shell from the magazine.

it will thus he seen that the gun here dis-- closed may he operated in a positive and continuous manner by a positively acting driving mechanism; and furthermore that the gun may be readily adjusted to any dcsircd inclination aud poxition throughout a horizontal plane.

While I have shown the preferred construction of my rapid-tiring gun as now known to me. it will he understood that \arious changes in the combination, construction and arrangement of parts may he made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

l. in a rapid-tiring gun, a harrcl having a tiring chamber in its rear end. a shell teeth ing case extending lmckwardly and downwardly from the tiring chamher and having an inclined hore leading to the tiring chamber; a shell clip mounted in the shell feeding case and discharging to the bore, a loading plunger inthc rear end of the chore. an actuati-n )in eXtendin outwardly from the loading plunger through the shell Feeding case. a shaft mounted tranm'erscly hclow thc tiring chamber. a crank upon this shaft. and a pitm'an connecting the crank to the actuating pin.

3. In a rapid-firing gun. a gun barrel having a tiring chamber at its rear end. a shell t'ceding ("use extending downwardly and hackwardly from the liring chamhcrt means for feeding shells to the firing chandler, a hreech extending upwardly from the shell l'ceding case in line with the barrel and spaced a dislailcc from the rear end of the harrcl. a hrcc h holt mounted in thc hrccch.

a lug extending down 'ardly from the hrccch holt. a shaft mounted transversely hclow thc tiring chamber. a crank upon this shall. and a pitman connecting the crank lo the lug: no that as the crank rotates he hrccch holt will reciprocate.

l. in a rapid-tiring gun, a gun harrcl ha\'- ing a tiring chandler at its rear end. a Slitll feeding case extending do\\'n\\'ardl and hackwardly l'rom the liring chamher. mcans lor let-ding shells to the tiring chamber a hrct-ch extending upwardly from the shell feeding case in line with the barrel and spaced a distance from the rear end of the barrel, a breech bolt mounted in the breech, a lug extending downwardly from the breech bolt, a shaft mounted transversely below the firing chamber, a crank upon this shaft, a pitman connecting the crank to the lug; so that as the crank rotates the breech bolt will reciprocate; there being a longitudinal bore extending-the length of the breech bolt; a firing pin in the bore, a stem extending backwardly from the firing pin through the end of the breech bolt, a spring upon the stem for operating the firing .pin, a catch extending from the rear end of the stem, 21 trip-shaft mounted in the breech parallel With the breech bolt, a detentupon the rear end of the trip-shaft and extending into the path of the catch; said detent having a square rear face and an inclined side face and said catch having an inclined side face and a square front face; a spring upon the trip-shaft, a finger at the forward end of the trip-shaft, and a tripping cam extending from the breech bolt to engage the finger.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

OHN MARTIN. 

